"I've attended seven different schools, and it was hard to be the new girl and starting over and starting over and starting over," said Lafontant, while sitting in a classroom at Framingham High School.

As her family's needs and situations changed, so did her environs. It wasn't until she arrived at Framingham a few years ago when she began to find her place.

After struggling early in the classroom, she was encouraged to enroll in a non-profit program called Resiliency For Life. Funded entirely by donations, it takes at-risk students and gives them special attention.

"It was really hard for her, I think it took her a while to build trust. And once she let that seep away, she just flourished," said program coordinator Mark Goldschmidt.

"I said 'Why not?' I was actually going to do something about it," added Lafontant.

The program, often dubbed RFL, helped spark a remarkable turnaround. Her grades dramatically improved, and she became involved in forensics and a Model Congress program, which took her to Yale University.

"Now, it's just good news all over the place," said Goldschmidt, boasting about Lafontant's enrollment in college prep and advanced placement classes. "She's just thriving."

As she prepares to graduate, Lafontant has her eyes set on enrolling at UMass Boston and majoring in education, a profession for which she gained a new respect at Framingham.

"That's my dream job, and I hope to be one of those people on the (RFL) board to give lots of money. I love this program, if you couldn't tell!"

While she works part-time at a coffee shop to help save for college, she is grateful to Goldschmidt and the staff at Framingham for re-shaping her future.

"The person I am today is the person I've always dreamed of being. Anyone can turn their lives around, they need a person to help them out, or a person, or a program or a community."